ghost kids
by Prince Jun
Summary: AU. Naruto moves into a new house and meets a strange sort of friend. Eventual SasuNaru.


The house that stands before them is a rather spooky, unsettling sort. Naruto clings more closely to his mother, though he's always saying ten is far too old to be clinging to his mother anymore, and eyes the building warily. He shivers slightly, more from fear than anything else. He'd heard, from the woman who sold them the house, that there was a ghost living here. His parents simply laughed it off - they don't believe in ghosts, of course, as parents never do - but Naruto couldn't shake the story from his mind.

His mother ruffles his hair and chuckles, as she always does when he's frightened. She leans down to his ear. "Shh," she whispers with a smile. "It's alright. Ghosts won't hurt ya." She flexes her arm. "Especially not with the Bloody Habenero around, ha!"

Naruto has to admit she has a point. His mother can be scarier than any ghost when she wants to be.

"Now come on, let's go!" She smiles and tugs gently on his arm. "We gotta get unpacked fast so you can enjoy the last week of summer!"

Naruto giggles and begins to run alongside her. He always thought his mom was really fast - the fastest person in the whole world - but now he seems to be able to keep up with her. He hears his father laugh as they run past him.

"Slow down, you guys," he chides. "We can't afford to have you break down the door yet."

"Alright, Minato," Naruto's mother says. She leans in towards Naruto and rolls her eyes, letting out a short bark of a laugh. "What a silly old man," she says in a quieter tone.

Naruto nods and chuckles, a grin on his face and his fear forgotten.

* * *

"Good night, sweetheart," Kushina says, giving Naruto a kiss on the cheek. She pulls on his doggy sleeping cap, making sure it's snug on his head. "Maybe tomorrow we'll be able to get out and explore the town!"

Naruto is already fast asleep, having passed out during their family movie time after a long, exciting day. After unpacking for hours, the Uzumaki family is more-or-less situated, though there's definitely more work to be done. Minato stands in the doorway of their son's room, waiting for Kushina to finish her good night ritual. He is a man of few words compared to the motormouth redhead, content with simply giving his son a simple "good night" and a kiss. Kushina, on the other hand, seems to feel obligated to have a one-sided conversation with him.

Minato chuckles lightly at the thought. Such a silly woman, she is, but a wonderful wife and an even better mother.

Quietly, Kushina walks up to Minato and kisses him. They don't exchange words; they only look up at each other with tired eyes. This is enough. Minato flips the light off in Naruto's room on their way out the door.

Behind them comes a flutter, something akin to a light breeze against skin. A young boy carefully peeks out from around a corner, watching the couple walk away. His face is lit up in a childish sort of fascination.

"Hello," he murmurs, a small smile on his lips. Maybe today will be the day he finally meets someone new.

* * *

Naruto wakes up to a feeling like wind on his hair. A very soft, glowing light pierces his eyelids. He opens his eyes slowly to see -

_Is that a g-g-ghost?_ Naruto quickly jumps into an upright position. "Who are you?!" He backs up against his headboard, shaking slightly.

"I'm Sasuke," the ghost says, a shy smile on his face. "Uchiha Sasuke. Who are you?"

"N-naruto," Naruto stutters, pulling his covers up. This ghost doesn't seem dangerous at all, but it's still taking the little self-control he has to stay put and talk to him. "Uzumaki Naruto. Um...why are you here?"

"I live here!" Sasuke keeps his distance, though he looks as if he'd like to get closer. "I've lived here a long time!"

"Oh, really?" Naruto relaxes slightly, not enough to move but enough to lower his guard just a little bit. "Where's your mom and your dad?"

"Gone," Sasuke answers, looking like he's about to cry. "They've been gone a long time, too."

"Oh no!" Naruto covers his mouth. A boy in his old town, Kabuto, was missing his parents too, but he'd found new ones. Couldn't Sasuke have done the same? "You can share mine, if you want."

This suggestion seems to brighten Sasuke's spirits a little. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Naruto grins. "Then we can stay up all night playing video games! It'll be awesome."

"Video games?" Sasuke makes a bemused face. "What?"

"You don't know what video games are?" Naruto's so surprised; who doesn't know what video games are? Besides Sasuke, of course. "Video games are the best! Here, I'll show you!"

He starts to pull himself out of bed and glances at the clock. "You woke me up at midnight? Mom's gonna be so mad if she catches me awake this late!"

"Sorry." Sasuke looks away, appearing somewhat worried. "I didn't notice."

"It's alright," Naruto assures him. He's calmed down a bit at this point, though he's still a bit wary around Sasuke. "I'll just show you tomorrow." Naruto pulls himself back under the covers and snuggles into his bed. "Good night, Sasuke!"

Sasuke looks up and smiles. "Good night, Naruto."


End file.
